Introduction 🥁
Nostalgia. I was looking at photos this week from one of Anberlin's final shows with Stephen Christian and it sparked a memory of a song that I consistently had on burnt cds in the early 2000s. It was an acoustic version of Autobahn and does not appear to be available anywhere on streaming. I did uncover the exact version on YouTube and absolutely recommend giving it a listen.

From there, it led me down a rabbit trail of tracking down all of my burnt cd mixes. Those discs are loaded with random versions of songs that I have no idea where they originated from. One example I uncovered was an acoustic version of "Space" by Something Corporate.

In probably the craziest coincidence ever, I listened to the latest episode of the Something In the Wilderness podcast where Steve was discussing the song "Space". In addition to releasing the episode, Steve uploaded a playlist of the 2004 "Down the Alley EP" by Something Corporate. To my astonishment, this was the same mysterious version of "Space" - of which now I know its origin.

I had the pleasure of meeting Steve (Something In the Wilderness) and trading stickers before an acoustic Andrew McMahon late show in Indy last year and absolutely recommend subscribing to his podcast. On the topic of rare versions of songs, I'm adding a section to this week's newsletter of either rarities, alternate versions, or lesser known songs that are worth checking out.

Reminders 🗓️

1. If you live in or near Florida, don't miss authors Amy Fleisher Madden ("Negatives") and Geoff Rickly ("Someone Who Isn't Me"/"Thursday") having "a retrospective conversation about emo" on January 14th in Coral Gables, FL. LINK

2. Bonnaroo tickets go on pre-sale on Thursday, Jan 11th and any remaining availability will go onsale Friday, Jan 12th. LINK

Special Moments ✨

1. Yellowcard performed “The Places We’ll Go” on Good Morning America on Jan 11th joined with special guests Cassadee Pope on vocals and Christine Lightner on Cello. LINK

Merch 📦

1. Thursday released a vinyl second pressing of their "War All The Time - Live" album. As of writing this, there were only a handful remaining so act fast to acquire an amazing album. LINK

2. Nick from The Spill Canvas is offering hand-written lyrics for Valentine's Day 🖤(limited to 15 orders). LINK

3. Sparrow Sleeps released a first pressing vinyl of "Take This To Your Crib" - lullaby covers of Fall Out Boy's "Take This To Your Grave". Variants are selling fast! I was able to snag the Sparrow Sleeps Exclusive (of 250)! Don't sleep on this now so that you can sleep with it later. LINK

Shows/Tours 🎟️

1. Yellowcard announced their "Summer Gods" tour performing with Third Eye Blind and the band Arizona. LINK

2. Sleeping At Last is performing with the Chicago Philharmonic Orchestra on October 11th and 12th. The 12th sold-out during the pre-sale but there are still tickets available for the newly added date - Oct 11th. LINK

3. The POST. Festival 2024 is returning to Indianapolis at the legendary HI⚡️FI on July 25th, 26th, and 27th with a stacked line-up. This may be the perfect reason to make a trip to the lovely Circle City - Indianapolis. LINK

Listen 🎧

1. Lead Singer Syndrome podcast created by Shane Told of Silverstein released episode 347 with guest artist Charlotte Sands. If her name sounds familiar, she is crushing it right now with a long list of singles, an upcoming world tour, a debut album releasing on Jan. 24th, and you've likely heard her on tracks with artists including Taking Back Sunday, The Maine, Sleeping With Sirens, MOD SUN, and Underoath. The podcast is a must subscribe and if you are a new listener, you have enough episodes that I expect to see at the top of your Spotify wrapped this year. Consider also supporting the podcast via Patreon. LINK

2. Something In the Wilderness released podcast episode 72 where Steve (host) has guest Steve (from the Concert Pipeline podcast) to discuss the Something Corporate song "Space". If you are a fan of Andrew McMahon (SoCo, Jack's Mannequin, In the Wilderness), this is a fascinating podcast that dives deep into the depths of Andrew's extensive music catalog.

3. OurSpace with Matt Vettese podcast released the latest episode - Everything Emo with Seiwuh which was entertaining, insightful, and resonated closely with me as I grew up in a similar emo timeframe. Zach (Seiwuh) also delivers high quality TikTok content best known for highlighting new music and bands. One quote during the podcast episode was "I don’t really think emo is as much of a genre as it is more of a scene about the collective of these local scenes that are making emotional music that’s somewhat brutally honest and a form of raw expression." This resonated so much because it is how I treat this newsletter as I know not all bands and topics fit cleanly within the term "emo" but being able to share the collective of moment's from our various perspectives and experiences are what makes this scene special. LINK

Positivity 🌻

1. Chad Gilbert of New Found Glory shared an anonymous letter to his IG story this week which is not still available to reference but was about going through uncertainty, sickness, and pain, yet still finding hope and love. It was beautifully written and maybe caused some misty eyes. If you are someone that prays, let's lift up Chad in prayer as he defeats cancer. Chad's attitude, perspective, and story is an encouragement to follow. We are rooting for you!

Creators 🎨

1. Lewberger on TikTok is so entertaining, refreshing, and addictive to watch. They are a comedic trio and regularly feature emo classics. If you're on TikTok, make sure to give them a follow. LINK

Jobs/Search/Opportunities 🔎

1. Anberlin is looking for talent to participate in a music video this Friday, Jan. 12th in Tampa, FL. LINK

2. Pedro The Lion is looking for people located in Washington, Oregon, and California to host solo Undertow Shows in February and March. LINK

Song Rarities 💎
These songs either are unavailable on streaming services or just lesser known so I wanted to bring them to light because they are amazing.

1. Snow Patrol - Warmer Climate LINK

2. Anberlin - Autobahn (Acoustic) LINK

3. Lovedrug - Spiders LINK

4. John Nolan - Over Before It Begins LINK

5. Deas Vail - Shoreline LINK

Capture of the week 📷

1. Maddie Walters captured some amazing moments of Action/Adventure, Cliffdiver, Ben Quad, and When the Clock Strikes performing on Jan 5th at Cain's Ballroom in Tulsa, OK for New Noise Magazine. I was so sad that I could not make it to their Hoosier Dome show in Indy but glad I get to experience parts of this show through Maddie's photos. Make sure to give Maddie a follow for fantastic content, photos, interviews, and coverage of many really cool shows. LINK